Sweet Excuses
by lilyme
Summary: Set in New York. Callie saw right through the little excuses Arizona was making to be near her. But would she dare to let Arizona in on her knowledge? And would Arizona admit to her true intentions?


**Title:** Sweet excuses  
 **Author:** lilyme  
 **Summary:** Set in New York. Callie saw right through the little excuses Arizona was making to be near her. But would she dare to let Arizona in on her knowledge? And would Arizona admit to her true intentions?  
Character **:** Arizona/Callie  
 **Rating:** T **  
** ** **Disclaimer:**** I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Grey's Anatomy". They were created by Shonda Rhimes and belong to her and the ABC network. No copyright infringement intended!

* * *

She was surprisingly unsurprised to hear a knock at her door at this late hour.

There was one person who would dare to come here after 9 pm on a weekday unannounced.

And she was tremendously happy that it was that way.

Opening the door, she was promptly greeted by a dimpled smile that easily reached bright blue eyes upon seeing her. "Hi," Arizona said cheerily.

"Hey," Callie returned with a warm smile of her own and held the door open to let her guest enter, arms seemingly brushing against each other on accident in passing. "What brings you here?" she wondered, leading them into the kitchen, since this was where they ended up most of the time when one visited the other. A late night drink of choice and talking.

"Um, yeah, sorry for coming here this late," the blonde began, even though she knew Callie hardly minded. Ever. "But I found one of Sofia's text books in my living room yesterday, and I knew she would need it, so...," she handed the item over with a bite of her lip. Like she was trying to read her reaction.

And Callie was not one to disappoint. Accepting the book with a raise of her eyebrow and a suspicious smirk, as she briefly turned away to put the book on the kitchen counter.

"What?" Arizona wondered with a little laugh, not having missed the amused play on the brunette's lips. Deep down she was hoping for the right reaction from Callie.

"Nothing," this one returned. "I just find it funny how you felt the need to bring me the book tonight, even though Sofia is on her school trip until next Wednesday. And therefore won't really need it right now," she pointed out, looking at Arizona, whose face had taken on a fairly nervous look at the remark.

"Well, I just thought before it gets misplaced. Plus, next week she'll be staying at your place, so...," the blonde gesticulated meekly, obviously reaching for an explanation for her need to come over for a book that was not needed right now.

"You know what I think?" Callie smiled gently at her counterpart as she stood with her arms propped against the kitchen counter. "I think this is a sweet, little excuse to show up at my door."

"An excuse?" Arizona queried, playing slow on the uptake, as Callie's assumption piqued her interest.

"Yeah. Just like... three weeks ago when you asked me if I wanted to go to that Monty Python's musical with you, because you had a spare ticket, since that mysterious person you had originally wanted to go with had canceled. Or that Jennifer Aniston movie you didn't want to go watch by yourself," she teased. All occasions that had felt more like dates than anything else. "And that time you needed help from Sofia and me with assembling your new coffee table, but once we arrived, you had finished it all already and instead you had prepared a nice littler dinner for us. Or that one time..."

"Okay, okay," Arizona stopped her with a wave of her hands before clapping them together in front of her reddening face. "You're right. And I'm apparently more obvious than I thought I am". A remark to which Callie just nodded her head in amusement, her eyes sending out a wave of encouragement. "I just... I didn't know how to ask. If you didn't feel the same way, I'd feel awful for even putting us into this situation again. And then there is also Sofia to consider".

Callie let her talk and explain her thoughts and reasons for hesitating.

It was all justified.

With their past... With their painful past, there certainly was a need for careful consideration. But they were so far from that old them now. The years on New York had done them good. All of them. And it made her more than ready to look at their possible future instead of their broken past.

"Sofia has long noticed that something is up," Callie argued. "And I think she'd be more than okay with it." The twelve-year old had a romantic phase right now and was falling in love with love. But not just with her own puppy love; also with the possible happiness that could be her parents. "And I myself... I have hoped for this chance for so long. And I know it's scary. I'm a little scared too. But I think we can be so, so, so good. And..."

She didn't get a chance to finish her thoughts when suddenly she felt something she hadn't felt in nearly a decade.

Arizona's hands on her face.

Arizona's lips on hers.

It was heaven.

It was what they had longed for. And long hadn't dared to hope happen again.

Callie felt her back being pressed against the counter as Arizona kissed her feverishly.

"I've missed you so much," the blonde whispered against Callie's mouth in the short second she allowed herself to take a breath. "So much".

"I missed you too," Callie returned as she engulfed Arizona in a hold that she wanted to last forever.

And as adorable as Arizona's secret wooing and excuses to be with her had been, she was happy they weren't needed anymore.

END


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